Artist Resume

Kevin Jones is a lover of history & Black cultural histories worldwide. For 25 years, he's collected, preserved, & exhibited artwork, memorabilia, & other pieces to illustrate significant moments that relate to contemporary issues. He enjoys researching & designing processes for exhibits that are collectively curated by community members based on the items from their personal collections.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts – American Culture, University of Michigan, 2000

Master of Education – Social Justice Education, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2002

Master of Public Health, University of Pennsylvania, 2010

Executive Program in Social Impact Strategies (with Arts and Culture emphasis), University of Pennsylvania and National Arts Strategies, anticipated 2023

RELEVANT EXHIBIT & CURATION EXPERIENCES

• Lead Curator, Reflecting Black: The Great Lakes Bay Region @ The Saginaw Valley Classic (community curated exhibit), Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI, September 2022-October 2022

• Designer, Black Reverence Chair, Saginaw African Cultural Festival, Saginaw, MI, August 2022

• Featured Exhibitor, Blactiquing Presents: The Black Hand Side, Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw, MI, February 2022-April 2022

• Exhibitor, Philadelphia’s Black LGBT Histories, The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History, William Way LGBT Community Center, Philadelphia, PA, March 2012

• Exhibitor, Philadelphia and Ballroom Culture, Vogue’ology, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, The New School, Parsons, New York, NY, November 2010

• Lead Curator, A Journey in Pride: Representations of Philadelphia’s Black Gay History (community curated exhibit), The Black LGBT Archivists of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA April 2007

RELEVANT ARCHIVAL & RESEARCH EXPERIENCES

• Humanities Scholar for Life Interviews, Bury Me in a Free Land: The Story of Eden Cemetery (film), Friends of History Eden Cemetery, Scribe Video, Philadelphia, PA, 2011

• Humanities Scholar for Life Interviews, Girard Estate: Ideal City Homes (film), Girard Estate Area Residents & Girard Estate Neighborhood Association, Scribe Video, Philadelphia, PA, 2010

• Humanities Scholar for Life Interviews, Bra Buddha Ransi Temple (film), Bra Buddha Ransi Temple, the Khmer Buddhist Humanitarian Association, Scribe Video, Philadelphia, PA, 2009

RELEVANT SPEAKING EXPERIENCES

• “Why I reflect Black,” Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw, MI, October 2022

• History After Hours: “Blactiquing origins,” Castle Museum, Saginaw, MI, September 2022

• Collector’s Talk: “Grandma’s chest of treasures: Collecting from Tuscaloosa to Saginaw,” Saginaw Art Museum, Saginaw, MI, February 2022

• “Philadelphia and Ballroom Culture,” Sex in an Epidemic, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, New York, NY, November 2010

OTHER RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

• Senior Associate and Lead of Ambassador Engagement and Community Evaluation, Morino Ventures, LLC, Rocky River, OH 08/19-present

• Executive Director, Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services, Washington, DC, 06/17-12/18

• Chief of Programs, DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Washington, DC, 03/16-06/17

• Chief of Data & Evaluation, DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, Washington, DC, 03/15-02/16

• Director, Evaluation & Training, Metro TeenAIDS, Washington, DC, 08/12-02/15

RELEVANT SKILLS

• Program design, evaluation, & monitoring

• Community organizing & artist advocacy

• Key informant interviewing

• Grant writing, fundraising, & budgeting

• Designing performance measurement systems

• Public speaking

• Curation & displays

• Event organizing & planning

ACCOMPLISHMNETS

• Established the Black LGBT Archivists Society of Philadelphia, 2007

• Outstanding Alumni Award, Program on Intergroup Relations, University of MI, April 2017

• Established Blactiquing™, 2020

• Collected & preserved more than 5,000 pieces of Black & LGBT memorabilia

• Appointed to State of Michigan Black Leadership Advisory Council (arts and culture) by Governor G. Whitmore (D-MI), 2022-2024